Chapter 3 Part 1: Unexpected

    Aiden tilted his head, letting the words filter through his processing. Rhodon’s interview was… with him? Had I really been that oblivious? He focused in on Rhodon’s reactions to it and noticed that he looked almost apologetic. It seemed that neither of them had any idea that they would be interviewing with each other of all people. As excited as Aiden was to have Rhodon joining them, he forced himself to be professional, like any interviewer should be! “Come on in,” Aiden said with a smile to give him a bit of assurance. He figured that was what he needed at the moment. He stepped to the side to allow Rhodon to enter the home. “Take a seat on the couch, if you’d like. In the fashion of fairness, I think we should still conduct an interview.”
    Rhodon walked over to the couch and gave a slight wave to the others as he passed through the door. “That sounds fine,” he replied as he sat down. “Only to be fair.” His eyes ventured to the kitchen when he had seen movement in the corner of his eyes, and he was surprised to see a face that hadn’t been there previously. Did they already choose another roommate? Is there still a spot left for me? I hope so… 
    Aiden looked to Evan and Jin as he himself turned and headed to the living room. “Come on over and get comfortable so we can get this started!” He flopped onto his seat and faced Rhodon with a big smile. With the events that had transpired before Rhodon arrived, it was nice to see a friendly face, and someone he knew he could accurately judge the character of. If there were any inconsistencies, he knew that Jin and Evan would pull them into light. 
    Jin was the first to move from their spot by the front door to make his way to the living room. Rhodon being there came as a bit of a relief to him. They wouldn’t have to deal with interviewing another complete stranger they knew nothing about. The fact that he was already acquainted with Rhodon made it much less stressful. As he took a seat beside Aiden, he couldn’t help but notice that just as he and Evan were thinking earlier, it was more than a mere coincidence that the two had met earlier in the day. “It is nice to see you back, Rhodon… Though, a bit of a surprise?” Jin wasn’t sure if it was the right thing to say, but he backed it up with a smile. 
    Rhodon nodded in response and watched as Evan walked over and took a seat on the floor in front of the table, also across from him. He looks… Exhausted? He wasn’t positive, but the way he sat slouched over with his arms rested on the table and his head upon them indicated to Rhodon he was at least a bit tired. From what, he didn’t know. “I couldn’t really remember who I had been talking to during the email process… I put the address into my phone only to find out I had been here before… and only a few hours ago.” He rubbed the back of his neck.
    Aiden laughed, trying to keep the atmosphere light. He said they would conduct an interview, but he wasn’t even sure what to ask! He had already decided that Rhodon was a perfect fit. He looked over to Jin and then down to Evan. “Do you guys have any interview questions? I already know everything I want to know.” 
As Jin and Evan thought over what they could ask, Damien moved to take a seat at the breakfast bar. He looked over the stranger, whom Aiden had called Rhodon, as he recalled. They were being extremely casual with each other, which indicated to him that they may already know each other somewhat. He didn’t know if he was meant to participate or not, and quite frankly, he knew he wouldn’t have any clue what to ask anyway. He was fine with sitting it out. 
Finally, Jin came to the conclusion that he really had no questions to ask Rhodon. He already knew him well enough to know the answers. “I have no questions of my own... Rhodon is my friend, and so I know what I should about him.” He smiled, showing his confidence in his friend. He looked down at Evan on the floor. “Do you have any questions in mind, Evan?” 
Evan lifted his head from his arms, looking Rhodon over seriously. “Just one... Are you as hyper as Aiden all the time?” His eyes narrowed slightly as he waited for his answer. He watched Rhodon’s expression turn into a look of confusion. 
“Hyper..?” Rhodon asked, gazing into Evan’s serious eyes. He couldn’t help but think Evan was like the guard dog of the house. “No, no. I will admit, I can be a bit excitable, but not nearly that often.” Rhodon hoped his answer was acceptable. He withheld a sigh of relief when Evan backed down, placing his head back down on his arms and closing his eyes. 
“That’s all I wanted to know,” Evan announced, no longer interested in glaring at Rhodon. He knew what would come next. At least, he thought, these interviews are over. Rhodon was to be the last one they admitted into the house as a roommate.
Aiden grinned widely. “Then it’s decided! You get to be our final roommate!” He gave Rhodon a thumbs up. “Did you bring your things with you? We can help you unload it!” He hopped to his feet, ready to give his help as needed.
“Actually, no...” Rhodon said sheepishly. “I didn’t know what to expect out of the interviews so I didn’t really plan ahead... But would it be okay if I came back later with my things?” He smiled at Aiden, hoping that it would make up for the fact that he had been so excited to start helping him move and wasn’t able to do so. 
Aiden didn’t skip a beat. “That’s okay...how about we help you get your things from your place? We need to go shopping for food, anyway, so why not get two things done at one time?” His excited smile was genuine, as it always was. “I have a car of my own, so we can split into cars if we want to.”
“All of us?” Evan asked as he looked up at him. He wasn’t very happy about the idea of having to go out again. He was already exhausted and pretty tired of being around people, and more specifically strangers. The thought of having to put more physical and social effort into his day was draining him more than anything.
“Of course all of us!” Aiden nudged Evan with his foot. “We couldn’t go shopping without everyone to be there to input in what we get. And it would be nice to help Rhodon out.” He stepped back, a little frightened by the glare that Evan was giving him. “It’ll be fun!” He squeaked, unable to hide some of the fear he was feeling. 
    “I have to agree with Aiden. It would be to all of our benefit to go shopping together so that food is picked to everyone’s liking,” Jin agreed thoughtfully. Poor Aiden was being given that scary look of Evan’s; he had to help him out somehow! “If we’re splitting cars, I’ll go with you, Aiden. It should prove interesting.” He joked some as he made his way to the door to slip his shoes on. The others followed suit, but they were also considering who else would go in which car… 
    “You’re sure this is okay? I can probably just do two trips by myself if you want to just go shopping while I’m gone.” Rhodon suggested uncertainly. The last thing he wanted to be was a burden, but he was entirely grateful for Aiden’s suggestion. A car ride alone was always so boring; a little company would be absolutely fantastic! 
    “We’re coming with you; don’t worry about it… All right so Jin is coming with me; anyone else? If not, we’re going to have a fun ride without you~.” Aiden teased the others as he pulled out his keys from his pocket and jingled them in his hand with a grin. He was all about enjoying car rides! 
    Damien was quick to stand from his seat at the kitchen once he realized he should be joining the others, and he immediately stood beside Aiden as if he was being separated into a team with his backpack straps still clenched tightly in his hands. He didn’t know Rhodon at all, so naturally he felt the need to ride with the individuals that he at least shared a bit of conversation with earlier. He wasn’t ready to speak with another complete stranger! Even a simple acquaintance was better! 
    Are we really splitting into teams for this? When he realized that everyone else had already chosen their car, he had to make a move in order to not be left behind with Aiden. “Alright, it’s decided. Let’s go Rhodon.” Evan spoke up as he gestured for the door and walked out, not even waiting for his driver to head out first. He was ready to just sit in the car and maybe even taken a nap while he was in there! Doubtful...The whole reason for this is to give him company... Too bad for him; Evan defined himself as the worst company he could ask for. At least his presence was something! 
    Aiden watched as Evan left their company and allowed Rhodon to follow after him before he and the others exited the home as well. A grin found its way to his lips after the groups were decided because he was extremely excited for this car ride with his new roommates. This was a golden opportunity! “So where exactly is your house, Rhodon? It’s not here in Berea is it?”
    “No, it’s in Richmond actually. I lived in the same neighborhood as Jin did over the summer.” He replied as he opened his car door to his silver Honda Accord and pressed the unlock button to allow Evan to enter as well. “Just follow me; if you get lost, I’m sure Jin can get you there,” he assured him with a smile and a thumbs up before he sat himself down in the driver’s seat and closed the door to prepare for departure. 
    “Okay,” Aiden responded simply as he opened the garage door and proceeded into the car with Jin in the back seat and Damien in the side passenger seat. Jin had already decided on sitting behind the others so that he could promote Damien’s social interaction as well as get a feel for the two and their personalities. “Do you guys have a music preference? If you don’t mind, I’ll just turn on the radio, and if you don’t like the station you can change it,” Aiden offered as he turned up the volume of his speakers, which gave rise to the voices of the radio hosts currently speaking. He watched in his rearview mirror as Rhodon pulled out of the driveway, and then he shifted his gear into reverse to follow suit. Once he shifted into drive, he followed behind Rhodon with less than a comfortable enough distance, at least in Damien’s opinion.
    Damien had never driven before, but he knew quite a bit about the rules of driving. He also was very aware of his own feelings towards certain things, especially tailgating. He was always very uncomfortable being a passenger of someone whose driving didn’t adhere to his standards. His whole body tensed with every stop because he felt Aiden would get far too close to Rhodon’s bumper; there was a high possibility of him crashing, right?! Damien kept a wary eye out for anything that might cause some sort of problem during the drive, and it was evident that he was concentrating entirely on the car ahead and their surroundings.
    “Aiden, would you mind putting a little space between us and Rhodon’s car? I know you don’t want to lose him, but even if you do, I can get you to his place. I think Damien might be a little uncomfortable with how close you are,” Jin pointed out with a small laugh before nudging Damien’s shoulder with his hand, “If something is bothering you, speak up. No one will know unless you say something,” he suggested with a reassuring smile and a nod towards Aiden. 
    “Oh, my bad. Sorry. Somehow I already forgot that you knew the way.” Aiden laughed as he began breaking a little early at a stop light to leave more space between the cars, “I agree with what he said though. I want to know if you are unhappy or uncomfortable with something so that I can adjust accordingly. Though, I can’t say I’ll remember to stay this far from a car all the time,” he remarked as he rubbed the back of his head with one hand and kept the other on the steering wheel. Once the light turned green again, he waited just a second or so before releasing the brake and pressing on the gas to continue their drive into a turn that led straight onto the interstate I-75 North. 
    Damien allowed his body to relax a little when Aiden’s driving became safer (if only a little), and he was able to take his eyes off the road to offer up a timid, apologetic smile to Jin and Aiden both with a nod of understanding, “I’m sorry; I will speak up next time perhaps. I just get nervous when I’m not used to a certain way of driving, honestly,” he replied in hopes that they too would understand his reasoning behind this. 
    “Really? I don’t blame you, but I think I myself have become use to American drivers. They are very reckless, except for a rare few. Rhodon is actually a very safe driver. Perhaps it’s the Canadian side of him…” Jin laughed as he offered up his opinion on the matter in a joking way. It was absolutely true! A few of his friends had explained to him what their driver’s test was like, and all of them shared very similar stories. The written test was no longer than fifty questions, and the driving test was far too short to have meaning! It’s no wonder some of these people didn’t seem qualified to drive! In his country, it was much more difficult… 
    “Hey, I’m not a bad driver; let’s not throw me into the stereotype. I can be careful.” Aiden grinned in response to Jin’s remark, even though he himself agreed. There were so many drivers that shared the road, or hogged the road in some cases, that didn’t even pay attention to what they were doing! Some would be on their cell phones, some completely ignored the fact that blinkers exist, and others may even be drunk or something! Of course, these things didn’t all only happen in America, but it seemed to be prevalent here. “Ooh wait! Not to stop the conversation, but I love this song!” he exclaimed all of a sudden when he realized that he had already missed the first verse of “Bang Bang” by Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj and Jessie J. “Bang Bang, into the room~! Bang bang, all over you~! Wait a minute, let me take you there! Wait a--!” his singing stopped when his song all of a sudden came to a halt thanks to Jin’s push of a button. Poor Aiden was astonished that he would do such a thing! He was getting so into it, too! “What’d you do that for? I like that song...” he pouted as he met with Jin’s eyes in the rearview mirror. 
    Jin cleared his throat a little and raised his eyebrows as he gestured towards Damien with his head. Does he even realize how sheltered this kid is?? He didn’t need to be listening to music like that! “Sorry, Aiden, but I think a different song would be more suitable. You did say that we could change the radio,” he reminded him as he waited to hear what song would be next. Oh, the lovely commercial breaks… He didn’t always mind them, but the longer he stayed in America, the more he came to understand why locals didn’t like them either. In his first year or so, he used the commercials as practice for English listening skills! That wasn’t as necessary for him now… He perked up when he heard the radio station announce itself, signaling that it was time for another song to begin, and he hoped that this one wouldn’t be as bad as the last. He knew Aiden wasn’t as innocent as he acted! Jin didn’t recognize the intro of the song, but it was obvious that Aiden did… even though the words were being sung almost immediately.
    “Wake up in the mornin’ feelin’ like P-Diddy. Grab my glasses, I’m out the door, I’m gonna hit the city. Before I leave, brush my teeth with a bottle of Jack. ‘Cause when I leave for the night, I ain’t comin’ back…” Aiden continued to sing as he even gestured to certain words of the song. He was totally rocking those invisible sunglasses! He even sang a little towards his passengers, and they didn’t seem to mind at all! Yeah… I wish. Jin didn’t seem to be approving-- his face said it all. 
Damien was grinning with a hint of uncertainty in his expression. He really had no clue what to think about Aiden, and this car ride was definitely starting to prove that the owner of the house he would be staying in was a little on the crazy side. He was fun though! He had never heard this kind of music before, and the fact that Aiden was dancing to it and acting it out was actually thoroughly entertaining in an odd way. 
“Aiden. Change it. We just had this discussion about the last song.” Jin remarked just to confirm what Aiden had been thinking his expression was telling him. He didn’t know what the heck “P-Diddy” was, but he knew she was talking about brushing her teeth with alcohol, though he didn’t know why. That sounds absolutely terrible… While he knew he was being a little strict with Aiden considering he had only begun residing in his house today, he had become comfortable enough to express what was important. 
    “It's okay, I don't mind. He likes the music, and I've never heard it before. I'm open to new things. Well… mostly.” Damien laughed a little, knowing very well that so far his attempt at new experiences was far from being enjoyable. But this was music they were talking about, so it wasn't at all similar to the past few hours. 
“I think it's great for you to try new things, Damien, but… maybe not Aiden’s music.” Jin replied as nicely as he could put it. Damien’s lack of exposure to this kind of music was not a bad thing, but it did make him more innocent than anyone he had ever met and that innocence needed to be protected! 
“I don't think that's fair…” Aiden muttered under his breath as he reluctantly changed the channel again. He was absolutely certain that Jin would disapprove of quite a few songs, and he was beginning to wonder if he even knew what good music sounded like. So far, it seems doubtful… 
    
    Meanwhile in Rhodon’s car, the silence was almost deafening. Rhodon could understand with the rambunctious nature of Aiden why Evan would have chosen to go in a car that would possibly be the tamer of the two, but complete silence was also wishful thinking. He just wasn’t sure how to break the silence between them. “So...Evan?”
Evan looked over and repressed the urge to ask why Rhodon was calling his name. He could tell by the look on his face that the silence was getting to him. He couldn’t blame him. If he was vocal enough, he could have warned him that he wasn’t very good company, but he had been finding that his words were falling on deaf ears. It would have made no difference. “Yeah?”
“Do you mind if I turn on the radio?” Rhodon asked. He wouldn’t say that the silence was haunting him. He didn’t want to make Evan think that his company wasn’t enough. He didn’t seem like he wanted to talk, and it made sense. They had just met over lunch, and he had become his roommate not long after. There would have to be time to adjust to the situation…Even though the silence was surely killing him.
Evan nodded in response, looking at the car’s console to find the knob for the radio. “I can do it…” He wouldn’t make him look away from the road. He was pleased to find that Rhodon’s car was much like the one he had driven at home, with a dark grey interior and simplistic dashboard design, so he didn’t find it hard at all to navigate his hand to the radio dial and crank it up enough for the sound to come over the speakers.
“Thanks,” Rhodon said, keeping his eyes on the road. He appreciated the sudden break in silence as the music invaded the space of the car. It’s not that he couldn’t just appreciate the company he had, but he was slightly nervous being in the presence of someone who was merely an acquaintance that didn’t care much for social interaction. He himself loved speaking with people, so the awkwardness was more of Rhodon trying to hold himself back from talking for Evan’s sake. At least music was a common ground! …If he likes similar music. “Not Afraid”, sung by Eminem, rose into the speakers as the volume knob was turned farther to the right. 
The beat heavy rap music invaded the sound space of the car, and surprised Evan completely. He should have known not to judge someone so quickly. It was the last thing he had expected to hear from the speakers of Rhodon’s car, and thankfully, it was music he listened to frequently. He was familiar with the song, knew the lyrics by heart, but anxiety was gripping at his tongue, keeping it from moving. Even with Rhodon passionately spitting out the words beside him, he kept his mouth shut. He envied Rhodon’s open nature in that moment. He had the slight hope that living with outgoing people would help him break out of the hard shell he was being held captive in. Was it possible? The longer he listened to the flow of the song and the sound of the lyrics that slipped so easily out of Rhodon’s mouth, he was beginning to believe there was a chance for him to break out of the cage of anxiety and join in. If he and Rhodon could share something as simple as rap together in their sea of similarities and differences, there was a chance there was more that they shared. Rapping took practice, after all. So does this mean Rhodon has a passion for it? Or does he just like this song in particular? He was far more curious about his fellow roommate now, and the longer he questioned all of this in his head, the more he sat himself up in his seat and leaned against the back, staring at the road ahead as he just listened. 
The urge to sing along with the song was growing with every line he heard, but Evan still couldn’t allow the words to fly out just yet. He was content with feeling the song, taking it in, and listening to Rhodon’s vocal style as he rapped right along, never missing a word. Towards the end of the last verse of the song, however, it seemed that Evan’s thoughts somehow messed with Rhodon because all too soon he forgot a word and then laughed at himself, allowing the song to carry on without him.
“Ah, man, I came so close too!” Rhodon exclaimed as he gave just a small tap to the steering wheel with the palm of his right hand. A grin still remained on his face even while he was criticizing himself for the mistake he had made. He knew the lyrics, but he had gotten tongue-tied from all of the rapping! It didn’t help that most of his attention had to be on the road as well… 
Evan raised an eyebrow at Rhodon as he slightly judged his reaction-- not in a bad way, though. It was good that he was a little upset by his mistake. It’s not like he was overly hard on himself, either. “I think if you weren’t driving you probably would have hit every word. That wasn’t bad,” he commented as a small smile crept onto his lips. Rhodon was suddenly somewhat relatable, and Evan felt significantly more open to the car’s environment now that the song had ended and mistakes were made. Rhodon wasn’t afraid to show what he was capable of nor that he was far from perfect. And as the next song drifted to their ears, he was ready. If Rhodon could share his rapping language, so could he. Maybe he wouldn’t be so good at first. Maybe he would mess up because of how nervous he was. However, if Rhodon could risk it, so could he, even if he was the less social of the two. 
The beginning of the song began with a steady beat of drums and then a piano layered on top soon after. And then all of a sudden, the two of them broke out into rap like no other’s business, matching each word and syllable with as much passion as a professional playing on his or her instrument. Completely in sync, yet differing in styles, their voices filled the car and slowly dissolved the anxious atmosphere that once engulfed them. “Return of the Mack's, get 'em what it is what it does what it is what it isn't lookin'-for-a-better-way-to-get-up-out-of-bed-instead-of-getting-on- the-internet-and-checking-a-new-hit, get up! …” The rap continued on as they matched the song. 
Surprisingly, instead of Evan messing up, Rhodon was the one who faltered after the first few words because he was caught off-guard by his unexpected rap partner. He’s singing! Well-- rapping! That made it even more impressive! Evan was joining him in RAPPING. This… This is exhilarating! Exciting! How could I mess up so easily when something so awesome is happening?! Jump back in, Rhodon!
The two of them continued rapping for the entire length of the song, and once it finished, Rhodon took a moment to catch his breath and then laughed once he was able to process all that had just happened. He was so excited!! “Wow... You can rap? That’s amazing! Why didn’t you say anything before?!” 
“You rapped, too, you know.” Evan pointed out with a questioning grin upon his face. He felt great after their little rapping session, and he no longer felt as shy as he had at first. The fact that Rhodon was so enthusiastic didn’t even bother him as much as it would otherwise when he wasn’t being social. This was definitely a new experience for him! “I didn’t exactly think you were into this kind of music,” he remarked as he looked out the window of the car just to check his surroundings. He spotted several cars on the interstate, and watched as a semi passed by their car on his right. This sight made him feel unsettled, and he was grateful that Rhodon seemed to be taking the necessary precautions in drifting towards the left side of his lane to give the truck more space between them. He hated being directly next to those trucks. 
“I’m not surprised you didn’t think I was into this stuff. I listen to just about everything, though. Rap is just something I really enjoy doing, so I tend to listen to that more than other genres,” Rhodon replied happily, all too thrilled to be discussing this topic in particular. He was really beginning to like Evan now that he was actually able to hold a conversation with him. Earlier he was just completely distant, so he didn’t know what to think of him then. 
Evan couldn’t help but to hide a smile in response to Rhodon’s comment. He enjoyed it? Well, at least he knew he had one thing in common with him… “Same, actually…” he said with a laugh. “I kind of grew up with rap culture, so that’s what I’ve mostly stuck to.” It felt so much easier to speak his mind, and he was thankful for it. 
“Really? See, I came from New York, and I got involved with a lot of the music that I’ve heard on the streets. Rap is really common, and it was easy for me to pick up as well.” Rhodon replied as he allowed the truck to pass by him so that he wouldn’t have to feel so nervous about it anymore. If he didn’t feel so embarrassed to mention the street dance he also happened to learn during his time in New York, he most certainly would have added that in as well. It’s just…I’m not sure if dancing is even seen as a cool thing. Probably not… “Where are you from?”
“California.” Evan replied, knowing very well that that would be a good enough explanation. The fact that both of them had been exposed to very similar environments was surprising to him, but it made sense. This isn’t going to be a bad living situation after all! Well… at least with Rhodon. He still was unsure about all of the others. After all, he would be living under the same roof as a hyperactive freshman, an eating machine, and a nervous kid. Another rapper was definitely what he needed. 
The commercials on the radio came to an end soon enough, and immediately percussion entered in unison with a woman’s voice, introducing Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl”. Rhodon raised his index finger to signal to Evan that he was halting the conversation for a while, just as long as this song was going at least. He reached over and, without removing his eyes from the road ahead, he turned the volume up by twisting the knob farther right. And as though the loudness of the speakers was also his internal volume, his voice rose to an equal playing field with the singer that burst from the speakers. He seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself as he sang along in an enthusiastic way to the 2005 hit. 
As the song continued on, Rhodon realized that Evan wasn’t singing along, and now that he knew he had it in him, he wasn’t just going to let that slide, “Come on, I know you know this song!” he urged him, gesturing for him to join in. This may not exactly be rap, but it was still fun to sing to! 
Evan shook his head slightly as he watched the driver go crazy with this older song, but he was grinning nonetheless. He couldn’t believe that he was actually considering joining in. The song was old-school, and it also required a bit of security on his part to be able to sing it as freely as Rhodon did. When Rhodon urged for him to sing along, a sigh escaped his lips as he gave in to his request without much of a fight. It may not be the manliest song, but it could prove to be fun somehow. 
So together, the two of them sang and even acted out a bit of the music-- Rhodon giving sassy gestures and Evan making faces. The atmosphere was the complete opposite of what it had been when they first entered the car! But, they weren’t the only ones jamming along. Aiden’s car was on the move, coming up on Rhodon’s right, and Aiden was absolutely carried away by the music. However, he did keep some concentration on the road for Damien’s sake. 
Damien laughed as he watched Aiden’s sassy, theatrical sort of dancing. But he was soon distracted as he came upon an interesting sight… As they were passing Rhodon, he spotted both he AND Evan singing along, similar to Aiden (though Aiden’s was still a little crazier). What was surprising was the fact they seemed to be in sync with the music he was currently being exposed to in this car! Are they listening to the same tune? He watched Rhodon and Evan for a few more moments, but he didn’t look away in time to avoid the eye contact he suddenly received from Evan. He was spotted watching them! Nervously, he averted his eyes away and repositioned himself in his seat in such a way that he couldn’t see Evan. That meant he couldn’t be seen by him either, right? 
Evan had been having a surprisingly good time with his and Rhodon’s jam session, but when he caught Damien staring at him from the car beside them, that was the point when he decided he wouldn’t continue with the song. His eyes narrowed as he continued to stare at the spot where Damien had just been, but after the kid’s little maneuver, he couldn’t really see him. Plus, he found himself watching Aiden’s ridiculous movements for just a few seconds before he looked away, hoping they would speed up so that he didn’t have to feel the eyes of the other car staring at him. 
But seriously… did we look like Aiden when we were singing along, too? 
    Meanwhile, Jin was sitting in the backseat of Aiden’s car, having given up on requesting a song switch with every tune that just happened to play on the stations. “Hollaback Girl” wasn’t as bad as the other ones, though, so he was dealing with it. Honestly, it does have a catchy tune… Perhaps ‘dealing with it’ wasn’t even the right phrase, because he was sort of getting into the beat. His eyes were trained on either Damien or whatever was outside his window when he peered out. He didn’t know why, but he felt as though he had to make sure Damien was at least somewhat enjoying himself. Maybe it was just his own background that gave him reason as to why he felt the need to look after him, or maybe it was just because he understood what it was like to be in a country he’s never been in and have no one familiar at his side. His eyebrows knit together when he noticed Damien’s demeanor had completely changed as he slouched in his seat and nervously looked out the passenger side window. This change of behavior made him curious, and out of pure deduction of all that Damien had been doing in the past few moments, he was already aware that whatever caused him to shrink into his seat was coming from the left of their car. And sure enough… there was Evan staring right over at what he assumed to be Damien’s direction. He wasn’t positive that he was looking at Damien, but evidence suggested it more than not. 
    Aiden was quite absorbed in the music, but that didn’t keep him from noticing that his side passenger didn’t seem to be enjoying himself as much as he had begun to in the start of the song. Is he bored with it?? Does he not like it? He reached over and turned the volume knob to the left to decrease the sound that permeated from the speakers. “Damien. Do you have a music player or something with your own music?” he asked him just to be considerate. He wanted to make sure that Damien was comfortable, at least now that he had just a little bit of exposure to music he didn’t seem to know. He felt as though it was his duty to introduce him into the world he had somehow failed to know. 
    Damien snapped out of his thoughts and glanced over at Aiden when he grabbed his attention, and he nodded in response, “Yeah, why?” he asked as he carefully took out his iPod Shuffle to reveal it to Aiden. He just hoped Aiden kept his eyes on the road… Why was he distracting him, anyway?? 
    “Do you want to plug it in?” Aiden offered once he spotted the object in his hand and then returned his eyes to the road. He was definitely surprised to see such an outdated device in his hand, but at the same time, it was surprising enough that he had the device to begin with! He actually knew some kind of music!! He was practically itching to know what this sheltered roommate of his chose to listen to! “Here, plug this in.” he said as he pulled the cord out of the glove box and showed it to them.
    “...What is it?” Damien asked, completely perplexed, “You can play your music into the car’s speakers instead of through headphones?” he questioned him, just in case he wasn’t understanding him correctly. 
    “Uh… yeah. That’s right.” Aiden said with a confused grin. He should just stop being surprised after all he had seen up ‘til now. “Go on, try it.” he prodded him with a big smile now. He was actually just excited to see what his reaction would be because this was a huge moment in his life! 
    Damien looked to Aiden once more, feeling a little uncertain for some reason. When he urged for him to do so again, though, he nodded and plugged the cord into the headphone jack. Damien pressed play on his iPod and instantly the sound of music came over the speakers of the car, surprising him. It had worked! There was childish delight in his smile as he heard Owl City playing louder than he could get even his headphones to go. “That’s...Amazing,” he said, the wonder in his voice. He couldn’t believe there was something so wonderful in the world. 
    What surprised Jin the most was not that Owl City was being played from Damien’s iPod (from what he could deduct from Damien’s soft spoken and very timid attitude, it made quite a bit of sense that he would be into such music), it was that Aiden started to sing along with the song that was playing. It didn’t strike Jin as something Aiden would be into, especially after the many songs he’s sung to, but then again, who was he to judge so quickly? Maybe beyond the hyper exterior, there was still a bit of innocence in the boy...Maybe. His initial impression of Aiden was that he was naive, in a way, but not quite innocent, in the purest sense. Despite that, it made him smile to hear both of the boys in the car sing along this time. To… rather good music. He had heard Owl City now and then thanks to the friends he had made here at the college, but he was only introduced to it. He didn’t take the time to search the artist’s music. 
    Jin was soon pulled away from his thoughts when he noticed both of them were not just singing with each other anymore… They were completely having a blast! What even is this song?? Something about dentists? He watched as Aiden and Damien sang and made gestures that were practically identical to each other’s while he sat in the back trying not to laugh. This was only the first day, and it was already turning out to be a rather interesting choice he had made in his roommates. 
    “I brush my teeth, and look in the mirror~. And laugh out loud, as I’m beaming from ear to ear~.” The two sang, gestured, and laughed together as they continued singing along to the song. Aiden didn’t even sound like he was trying to sing well, though. He was just singing obnoxiously for the fun of it while Damien sang to himself and no one else. At least they were enjoying themselves though! Even as they were passing by Rhodon’s car, Aiden finally noticed them and began to sing and gesture to his new roommates through the window, knowing fully well they couldn’t hear him at all. He raised his left fist at Evan as if ready for a fight as he sung about picking flowers instead of fights, and as he came upon the next verse, he bared his teeth in an absolutely massive grin, just to show those clean, pearly whites.
    Evan had been discussing with Rhodon more about his experiences involving rap and where he came from, but his eyes were drawn to the sight of Aiden and Damien making some weird faces and gestures in the car beside him. What the…? Why did they look like they were brushing their teeth? Who sings about such a thing anyways? His attention was grabbed even further by Aiden’s eye contact, unfortunately… Evan almost regretted looking in his direction because that grin he flashed at him had to be the weirdest thing he had ever seen. And he’d seen a lot, being the oldest of five. In hopes that Aiden would stop his strange antics and continue driving normally, Evan slowly turned his eyes away and position himself so that the majority of his back faced the window. Just when I thought Aiden couldn’t get any stranger… 

Upon arrival at Rhodon’s house, the two cars’ inhabitants exited from their seats and all except Jin and Rhodon, and Evan immediately began to scope out their surroundings. Because Rhodon and Jin had been living either here or had visited, their lack of interest made sense. But what was Evan so occupied with that made him lack the curiosity to look around? 
    “Aiden, what were you even doing in the car? You are aware that you are the driver, aren’t you?” Evan approached him immediately after exiting the car. He was curious yet absolutely baffled about what in the world he and Damien were doing in the car, though it was really just Aiden he had questioning for. “And what was this supposed to be?” he asked as he imitated Aiden’s face that he had made when singing to “Dental Care”.
    Aiden and Damien stared at Evan with perplexed expressions, but when Evan made the attempt at imitating the obnoxious driver, Aiden himself completely lost it! “You’re smiling! Or… at least trying. Wow! Did I make you that happy?” he asked excitedly as he even gave a pat to Evan’s shoulder to show how proud he was. Man, just a day and a half, and he’s already catching on… Magical things happen when people are no longer homeless. Well… he found out he wasn’t homeless; he actually just needed friends. Or something like that. 
    Damien stood by a few feet away for safety’s sake, clutching onto his backpack straps like usual, as he watched Evan practically scold Aiden for some reason. Though, when Evan made that weird face at them, he found himself holding in a laugh so that his scolding wouldn’t be turned to him. What really was that face? Did Aiden do that while driving earlier?? He didn’t see it! He wanted to speak up and tell him what they were actually doing, but due to his past experience with Evan, he held his tongue and allowed whatever to happen. Did Aiden really not notice that Evan is really just making fun of him? In his opinion, it was quite obvious! Surely, Aiden was just purposely driving Evan nuts! 
    Evan gave Aiden a disgusted look in response to his reaction, and he denied what was said only to continue to question him, “I was not smiling,” he assured him with a nod to himself, “I was asking you what sort of things you were gesturing at us through your window when you were supposed to be driving. And don’t touch me… my shoulder’s sensitive.” he muttered as he turned away from him when he noticed Jin seemed to be giving them quite the impatient look. Or maybe it was just a death stare... All he knew was that he somehow felt compelled to drop the subject and follow Rhodon and Jin into the house to fetch the luggage they had come for. 
    Aiden gave some space between himself and Evan before turning to whisper in Damien’s ear, “I think I’m growing on him, don’t you?” he asked jokingly and laughed as he finally continued on up to the house with Damien shaking his head and laughing as well. Honestly, though, Aiden actually believed Evan when he said that his shoulder was sensitive… 
    
---

Moving out of Rhodon’s apartment proved rather easy thanks to the number of people that had come along. Rhodon had quite a few boxes to bring to his car and stacked many in his back seat along with his suitcase and backpack. He also had to place a few items in his trunk, which included his necessary textbooks for the semester. When it was confirmed that everything of his was packed in, the crew left for their next destination: Walmart. 
    The drive to supercenter was similar to the drive up to Rhodon’s house, except Aiden’s car was playing Owl City and the occasional classical piece the entire time. Aiden actually found a little humor in Damien’s music choices, and he couldn’t help but be entertained even by the classical music that he rarely, rarely listened to. Jin was beginning to learn quite a bit about his new roommates, and he had come to the absolute conclusion that there was no questioning the fact that Damien had some strict parents. There was just no way that Damien chose to listen to nothing but Owl City and classical music. He wondered how much this living situation was going to change him, in all honesty. 
    As for Rhodon and Evan, the two of them were definitely getting a bit of bonding into their relationship. Not deep bonding, mind you, but enough to allow both some comfort in each other’s presence. Their conversations about rap turned into conversations about their pasts in school, and those conversations turned into topics of likes and dislikes somehow. When they got tired of talking, they appreciated the music instead. 
Evan couldn’t keep himself from wondering about how this whole friendship thing was actually going to turn out… They were only acquaintances now, but would they become friends? He didn’t know whether or not the conversations they held together meant anything or if it was all just because Rhodon had no one else to speak with. If it wasn’t just us in the car… would Rhodon still care to have talked to me about all of this? He turned his attention to the scenery out the window as he tried to shake these thoughts from his mind, and the only comfort he could give himself was that only time would tell what would happen between him and the other roommates. 
Rhodon’s opinion of Evan had definitely escalated since he first met him this morning. Earlier he was just a quiet guy who seemed to have a grudge against everything and everyone. He didn’t exactly judge him for that, but he couldn’t bring himself to speak with him until the wall was broken down by none other than rap! Now, he was very optimistic about his relationship with Evan, and he was absolutely thrilled to be starting this new adventure with all of his roommates! 
As both cars pulled into the crowded parking lot of Walmart, Rhodon led the way to a select few parking spaces that were lined up on the far-right side of the parking lot entrance and grabbed a spot halfway between the building and the lot entrance. Aiden drove into the space beside him and once the ignition was turned off, he and the others exited the car to join the other two and head towards the supermarket’s entrance. 
Jin was the first inside the store, and he was eager to grab a shopping cart for the groceries he would be buying. Now that he was here and the hour was reaching 5:30 p.m., he was absolutely starving and was on the lookout for the food he would be making once they got back to the house. Unfortunately for him though, the others seemed to have a different idea about what foods should be brought into the home. Jin had the idea of going to the middle of the store’s grocery aisles to grab the non-refrigerated or frozen foods first, but it didn’t seem as though Aiden had that idea at all. He knew what he wanted! 
Aiden made a bee-line for the frozen section, dragging Damien along with him, and without any second thoughts, he grabbed 4 pizzas of different toppings and handed them to Damien and then carried a bag of chicken s and Neapolitan ice cream in his own hands. He was quick to return to their group that was somewhat patiently waiting for him at the end of the aisle. Jin watched with dismay as the items were placed into the cart, and Evan merely raised his eyebrows as he wondered if this roommate of his planned on cooking that chicken. After their discussion in the kitchen earlier, he wasn’t ready for any related incidents to happen. Of course, the pizza required baking, too, but there was no way he could make the fire alarm go off because of pizza right? After all, the only thing required for baking pizza was a timer and the proper temperature! He probably shouldn’t trust Aiden to do well with that either, though…
Reluctantly, Jin carried on with pushing the cart as he scanned the aisles for any groceries that stuck out in his mind. The second person to branch off from the group was Rhodon, who ventured down aisle 4. His interest in Asian foods was what enticed him to leave the shopping cart, but little did he know that Jin also had the need to walk down the same aisle. Rhodon pulled 3 Yakisoba ramen packages from the middle shelf of the Asian section and before he knew it, Evan was pulling the last 2 chocolate Pocky boxes off of the shelf to his right! “Uh… Evan? You wouldn’t mind if I had one of those, would you?” he asked hopefully. He really liked Pocky! Then again… who didn’t? 
Evan looked up at Rhodon and then back to the Pocky for a moment only to look back at the shelf to check for more, “You don’t like strawberry?” He wasn’t too thrilled about the thought that he might have to give up his Pocky, and he absolutely hated the strawberry flavored. That stuff is just nasty… 
Rhodon scratched the back of his head as he considered the question and eyed the strawberry Pocky that sat on the shelf with uncertainty, “I’ve actually never had it. I guess I could try it…” He replied as he hesitantly picked up a single box and turned it over to read the labels on the back. 
Evan slowly turned his head in Rhodon’s direction only to stare in disgust at the thought that his new acquaintance would be forced to try that distasteful, poor excuse of a treat because of him. He reached his hand out and grabbed the Pocky from Rhodon’s hand to replace it with one of his chocolate boxes and put the strawberry one back on the shelf, for both of their sake. He wouldn’t want anyone to have the misfortune of eating those! 
“What..? Wait, no, this is yours. It’s okay, I don’t mind---”
“Keep it.” Evan insisted as he made a move to leave his side. However, he stopped in his tracks when Aiden gleefully made his appearance, grabbed 3 packs of the strawberry Pocky from the shelf and excitedly placed them in the cart. He was so happy about his Pocky collection that Evan couldn’t help but comment to Rhodon in a whisper on the matter, “You know an item is bad when he grabs for it. You’re welcome.” he remarked before tossing his Pocky in the cart and turning his attention to Jin. 
    Jin picked up 4 packages of rice and placed them in the cart and then grabbed 4 packages of noodles to place in the cart as well! He eyed the shelves up and down to make sure that he didn’t need anything else and then paused in his search when he noticed Evan staring at him,”... Yes? Do you need something I can get for you?” he offered as he pointed to the top shelf and gave him a questioning and concerning glance with his eyebrows raised. 
Evan appeared to be quite unamused by Jin’s question. He was more annoyed by the question than anything, even though Jin was being completely sincere. They weren’t close enough for him to be making short jokes; he was completely aware of that. Still… he couldn’t help but narrow his eyes at this tall Korean and shoot daggers at him in his mind. With a deep sigh, he allowed his annoyance to subside and then pointed to the cart where Jin had just placed the items, “Is that enough rice and noodles for you?” he asked seriously. Is he aware of his own appetite? 
“Oh, you want more?” Jin asked, absolutely pleased that one of them was actually eager to have real food. This is great news! There is hope after all! “How much more would you like?”
“No, no, no, no, I meant for you.” Evan replied immediately as he nodded slowly to add to this confirmation. He didn’t exactly want to say it straight out, but it appeared he had no choice. Besides, it’s not like he was being rude or anything; he was only wanting to make sure there was enough for him and everyone else. 
Jin was genuinely surprised by his comment, but by no means offended. He took a moment to process what he was asking, and when he came to the realization, he nodded to show his understanding, “I see… You are confused about my eating habits. I ate quite a bit at the restaurant, and you assume I eat the same amount at home. In actuality, I limit myself when I am eating among others in a home setting. College students unfortunately are not paid enough to eat their fill.” he remarked as he began to push the cart down the aisle to continue shopping.
    Evan didn’t even think that Jin was considering money in his shopping with as much food he was putting into the cart, but that did make sense. He obviously knew it to be true, considering his sophomore status. If only he didn’t get paid a measly $5.05 an hour. #BEREA. 
It was at this time that Jin paused in his tracks and looked around to count all of his roommates, having just noticed that he hadn’t seen Damien since he brought the pizzas with Aiden. Sure enough, his count didn’t add up to 4, and he was rather confused by this. Wasn’t he with Aiden? 
“What is it? Did you forget something?” Rhodon asked as he looked around as well, hoping to spot whatever it was Jin was searching for. Whatever was on his mind seemed rather important. 
“No… Do you know where Damien went? We seemed to have lost him.” Jin replied with concern as he carefully reached over and tapped Aiden on the shoulder, “You were last with Damien; do you know where he is located?” he asked him as well to receive fast feedback.
“Damien? He was right… there?” Aiden said in return as he looked towards the end of the aisle where he had last left him. He honestly thought that Damien had been following him the entire time, but apparently that wasn’t so. Where could he have gone?? 
Rhodon didn’t have a clue either, and he was about ready to go looking for him as well, “I can check the previous aisles. You have my number right?” he asked in case he couldn’t find them after his search. 
Jin nodded in response and watched as Rhodon rushed off and then looked over at Evan, suddenly feeling a little nervous. Damien was from out of the country, and he probably had never been to a Walmart before. He felt he should have kept a closer eye on him because of his knowledge of the situation, but it was too late to regret that now. It was time to take action! 
Evan could see the concern in Jin’s eyes, but he waved it off and his heel to assist in the search, “Don’t worry, I’ll get him. It’s not like this is the first time I’ve had to go after him…” he muttered with a sigh as he walked casually away from the group. He was in no hurry because there was no reason to be. It’s not like Damien is going to leave the store for goodness sake. He was probably just curious and having a look around. Why he couldn’t tell someone that he wanted to scout the place out was beyond him. Sheesh… was this the kid’s talent or something? He certainly had a knack for causing trouble, that was for sure. What was worse was that it always seemed to be him that had to come to the rescue. 
While Rhodon was searching on the side of the aisle closest to the wall that held the refrigerated meats, Evan was on the other side, only turning his head left and right up the aisles they had passed thus far. He was pretty sure that Damien wouldn’t have gone out of his way to separate from the group, so he had to be nearby! Sure enough, he spotted a blonde teen wearing a small yet bulky, old black and red backpack staring at something he held in his hands as he stood in the craft aisle. With a roll of his eyes, Evan shook his head and approached the troublesome roommate of his and came to a stop just beside him to get a good look at what he was holding and also to make him uncomfortable. He wanted him to know that he had done wrong by leaving the group without saying anything. “Look, kid, if you make me go after you one more time, I’m going to have a few choice words for you. I thought we settled this earlier.” he commented as he finally looked up at his face to find that Damien was staring at him like a scared, little puppy. Whoops. He breathed a sigh as he reached his hand up to rub the back of his neck as he tried to figure out what to say so he didn’t totally screw this up, “... What are you looking at?” he asked finally as he pointed at the sketchbook he held. Of course he knew what it was, but Damien was sure to explain what he was doing when he asked that question, right?
Damien was honestly a little spooked by Evan’s sudden appearance, and he stared at him ever since he had noticed he was there. Thankfully, this situation was completely different from earlier because now he knew that Evan wasn’t some criminal coming after him, but he still preferred not to be left alone with him. He was terrifying! His eyes returned to the sketchbook for only a split second before answering with a rather confused expression upon his face, “A… sketchbook?” It said so right on the cover of it, so why did he bother asking? 
    … That smartass. He said it. He said what I already knew. What’s sad is that he knew he was going to reply that way. I knew it! So why did I even ask? This kid…Evan closed his eyes and bit his lip as he tried to clear his mind and come up with something as a response that wouldn’t completely scare him away. His eyes slowly opened and fell upon the teenager in front of him who stared blankly back. “Damien… do me a favor and put that down so I can take you back to the others. They got worried after you went missing, and if we’re both gone too long, they’ll probably think I murdered you or something.” He said as he gestured for him to put the sketchbook down. 
Damien’s eyebrows knitted together at first, but the mention of murder sort of gave him incentive to place the sketchbook back where it came from and follow after Evan so that he wasn’t left in the presence of this scary sophomore. How was he so unfortunate as to be found by Evan of all people? It’s not like he had done anything wrong anyways; he was only looking… He pouted as he stuffed his hands into his pockets and walked beside Evan, who once again wouldn’t allow him to stay behind him. He had to admit… he hadn’t given Evan reason to trust him not to run yet. 
Relief overcame the other members of the group at the sight of Evan and Damien, though the look upon Damien’s face told Jin that Evan had said or done something again. Geez… What am I going to do with those two? At least he found Damien… “Try and stay with the group, okay? Actually… if you want to take a look around by yourself, it’s perfectly fine with me if you can just call me when you’re done. Can I get your number?” he asked as he pulled out his phone in order to get his contact information.
“Uh… I don’t have a cell phone.” Damien replied nervously as he scratched the back of his head, “It’s okay, I won’t leave the group again. I was just comparing this Walmart to the one back home in Liverpool, and I suppose I got a little distracted. I apologize…” he added in as he allowed his eyes to fall upon the tiled floor. He felt embarrassed and also childish because of all the worry he had caused them. However, he understood why he shouldn’t be wandering off by himself, and he promised himself that he would try and contain his curiosity for now. They did need to hurry back for dinner… 
Aiden was listening in to the conversation, and when he spotted Rhodon passing their aisle and still searching for Damien, he signaled his fellow roommate to get his attention so that he wouldn’t keep looking. When Rhodon finally joined the group once more, he quietly explained what was going on so that he wasn’t completely lost in conversation. He did pause his discussion with Rhodon when Damien mentioned that he didn’t have a phone though… Why didn’t he have one? He’s from out of the country! Didn’t he need to keep in contact with his family and friends? Well, perhaps he skyped on his laptop or something to make up for it… Hopefully he had one of those. 
Jin looked just as surprised as Rhodon was about this, but nonetheless, he placed his phone back into his Nike shorts’ pocket and gestured for them all to just continue shopping, “We’ll just hurry up and finish then so that we can head back home. I’m sure we’re all hungry by now…” he remarked as he made a turn down the next aisle. 
The group only shopped for another 15 minutes or so, and there were quite a few new additions to the cart by the time they reached the checkout. Jin had grabbed a couple gallons of vitamin D milk, a variation of vegetables and fruits, and finally a few bags of varying meats as well. He was all set! Evan had thrown in a few packs of the instant mac ‘n cheese he usually got for himself, but no one else added to the cart after that. 
The group soon found themselves waiting in a check-out line to purchase their groceries, but some of them really couldn’t help but let their eyes wander. Just around the counter was a long shelf of Pokémon plushies, trading cards and kits, as well as other related items that might catch the eye of any gaming nerd around. Jin was staring in the direction of the items with the desire to have a look, and when Aiden broke from the line to observe the merchandise, he was even more tempted to join him. Damien soon followed after Aiden due to his curiosity, and before long, Jin finally gave in as well. 
“Look at this! I’ve wanted this kit for so long!” Aiden exclaimed as he picked up a tin of Pokémon cards and showed it to Damien who was absolutely clueless about the subject. “This is one of the games I’m going to show to you. You’ll really like it, and when you do, you’ll have to keep yourself from coming to this section of Walmart. Trust me.” he grinned as he gave Damien a pat on the shoulder. 
“Oh that one? I got that one a couple months ago; it has a lot of good cards.” Jin remarked as he looked over Aiden’s shoulder to catch sight of what he was talking about. He then lifted up a sylveon plushie from the shelf and examined it with that college student smile that always said ‘I want it, but I know I don’t have the money’. 
Damien was actually really excited to be shown whatever this game was, and the fact that even the person he assumed was the eldest was into such things sort of made him more interested in the idea of it. However, when he spotted a Pikachu plushie sitting in front of Jin, he came to realize that this game was the one Aiden was talking about with him in the kitchen! Even though he hadn’t played the game yet, he already wanted the Pikachu plushie because it was so adorable. If that wasn’t weird… 
“... What are they doing?” Evan asked Rhodon as he stared at the three from the line he stood in. “This line’s going to be over soon, and now we have to unload the cart onto the conveyer belt…” he complained as he hesitantly began to separate out the items. Most of these were Jin’s so he didn’t see why he had to sort it all out. Then again… he could always just take out his things and leave the rest to them when they got back. 
Rhodon laughed at the sight of the college students checking out the ‘nerd’ aisle as a child, who was probably only about 7 years old, stood near them as he also looked at the merchandise. He liked Pokémon as well, but he wasn’t as into it as they were obviously. “I honestly didn’t take Jin to be the plushie kind of person myself.” he remarked as he pointed out their roommate to Evan who already knew of all of his collectables. “Oh! Looks like they’re coming back.” he remarked as he watched Evan take out his mac ‘n cheese and Pocky and place them on the belt. 
The group was soon reunited, with Aiden and Jin still discussing Pokémon with Damien, and the three of them began to help out with the separating of the items while Evan already started paying for his. Within another 10 minutes or so, they were finally out the door and off to return to the house so that they could get dinner at last!